Making an investment in tuition

Given the dismal outlook for the employment of law students after graduation, legal education has been taking a lot of criticism for the past few years.

Image Source:  pratibhaplus.com

Law schools have been taking flak for their high tuition fees and the larger classes, in spite of the dwindling demand for workers in law offices. Lately, only about half of the graduates are expected to land law-related jobs, most of which don’t require them to pass the bar exams. There is a change required for legal education to keep up with the times, one toward a more sustainable mode, but it is expected to be difficult.

Given that situation, is it still worth it to seek a career in the legal profession?

Image Source: guardian.co.uk

Lawrence Mitchell, the dean of Case Western Reserve University’s law school, thinks that law school is worth the money. He points out that while the situation looks bleak due to the high number of unemployed or underemployed graduates, the focus on the first job is misleading.

Law schools and the law profession have taken note of the problems that many law school graduates face in seeking employment. Some law schools have been reported to have taken a cue from the medical profession to open up opportunities for their graduates.

Image Source: cliverich.com

As for the students, Mitchell reminds them that they didn’t pay tuition for their first job. They paid for a lifelong career, and the possibility of a rewarding and profitable one is still available to them even though the outlook seems bleak at the moment.

Find more updates on the problems faced in legal education on this this Twitter page for Evan Granowitz.